碲化镉量子点对PC-12细胞的细胞毒性研究

目的:探讨碲化镉(CdTe)量子点的生物安全性。方法:以水热法制备的、巯基丁二酸(MSA)包被的碲化镉(CdTe)量子点为研究对象,作用于体外培养的鼠神经元细胞(PC-12)。实验设立对照组和不同浓度CdTe QDs作用组。CdTe QDs作用于细胞后,采用倒置荧光显微镜分别观察量子点作用下的细胞形态与细胞对量子点的摄取情况;使用alamarBlue检测CdTe QDs对细胞存活率的影响;Hoechst 33342单染法观察CdTe QDs对PC-12细胞核形态的影响;Annexin V-FITC单染检测CdTe QDs对PC-12细胞凋亡的影响。结果:CdTe量子点作用后,低浓度实验组细胞变化不明显,高浓度实验组中的细胞的形态发生改变,引起细胞肿胀变圆,细胞数量减少,存活率显著下降;在染色下可见明显的细胞凋亡。结论:量子点与细胞接触后会通过胞吞途径进入细胞,汇聚于多种细胞器,对细胞器的功能造成损害,进而引发多种途径的细胞凋亡机制并引发细胞死亡。     

CdTe/CdS/ZnS双层外壳量子点细胞毒性的研究

目的:探究Cd Te/Cd S/Zn S的生物相容性,减少量子点在生物医学方面应用时的毒性影响。方法:培养肺腺癌细胞A549,急性T淋巴细胞白血病细胞CEM。Cd Te/Cd S/Zn S量子点与Cd Te/Cd S量子点分别与所培养细胞孵育后,CCK-8法测定细胞生存情况。结论:Cd Te/Cd S/Zn S双层外壳量子点能够显著减少量子点的细胞毒性,提高量子点生物相容性。     

血小板衍生生长因子受体β对骨肉瘤细胞株HOS增殖的影响

血管形成是肿瘤生长过程中不可或缺的因素。血小板衍生生长因子受体(platelet-derived growth factor receptor, PDGFR)通过与其配体结合刺激新生血管形成,与多种肿瘤的发生发展密切相关。研究表明其亚型PDGFRβ高表达于大多数骨肉瘤病人标本及细胞株中,促进肿瘤增殖,但具体机制仍未明确。在本研究中,分别对HOS骨肉瘤细胞株进行特异性配体PDGFBB刺激处理及小干扰RNA (siRNA)敲降PDGFRβ处理,然后检测其增殖、细胞周期及相关蛋白的表达。结果表明:经过PDGFBB刺激后细胞增殖能力增强;细胞周期结果显示处于G1期的HOS细胞数量增多,S期和G2/M期细胞数量减少,G2期相关蛋白Cyclin B1和CDK1以及G1期相关蛋白CyclinE2和CDK2表达增高,提示PDGFBB可能促进了G2/M期转化。而经siRNA干扰后,PDGFRβ在mRNA和蛋白水平均显示表达量下降;细胞增殖受到抑制。检测细胞周期结果发现在敲降PDGFRβ后,进入S期的细胞数量增加了约9.71%,而G2/M期的细胞数量约减少了6.78%,S期相关蛋白Cyclin A1和CDK2明显降低,提示发生了S期阻滞。因此我们推测,PDGFRβ通过调控细胞周期进程影响骨肉瘤细胞的增殖。本研究为PDGFRβ影响HOS细胞增殖及其潜在机制提供了理论依据,为PDGFRβ可以作为治疗骨肉瘤的潜在治疗靶点提供了理论依据。     

甲基莲心碱促进骨肉瘤143B细胞凋亡的相关研究

目的:研究不同浓度甲基莲心碱对骨肉瘤143B细胞增值迁移的影响及其诱导凋亡的相关机制。方法:不同浓度甲基莲心碱处理骨肉瘤143B之后,CCK-8法检测甲基莲心碱对骨肉瘤143B细胞的增值抑制作用;细胞划痕实验检测不同浓度甲基莲心碱对骨肉瘤143B细胞迁移的影响;流式细胞术检测甲基莲心碱对癌细胞的凋亡率和周期分布;Western Blot检测甲基莲心碱对癌细胞相关蛋白Bcl-2、Bax的表达。结果:CCK-8显示甲基莲心碱能抑制骨肉瘤143B细胞的增值且以浓度和时间依赖的方式(P0.05);给药组(20, 40, 60μmol·L~(-1))24 h细胞迁移率分别为(62.35±4.15)%,(40.74±4.80)%,(25.10±5.52)%,较对照组(75.89±5.24)%明显降低(P0.05);流式细胞术结果显示甲基莲心碱能使骨肉瘤143B细胞周期阻滞于G0/G1期,且呈剂量依赖性诱导癌细胞凋亡(P0.05);Western Blot证明甲基莲心碱可促进癌细胞中促凋亡蛋白Bax的表达,而降低抑制凋亡蛋白Bcl-2的表达(P0.05)。结论:甲基莲心碱可能通过激活线粒体凋亡相关蛋白的表达,发挥抗骨肉瘤143B的作用。     

蚕蛹复合氨基酸对人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721的抑制作用

本实验探讨蚕蛹复合氨基酸对人肝癌细胞株SMMC-7721的抑制作用.实验经MTT法检测药物对人正常肝脏细胞株QSG-7701的毒性后,计算药物安全浓度.将不同浓度的蚕蛹复合氨基酸与人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721共培养,采用MTT法测定OD值,评定蚕蛹蛋白复合氨基酸对肝癌细胞株的增殖抑制作用;经Hoechst33258染色和倒置显微镜进行形态学观察以检测细胞凋亡率;流式细胞法测定细胞周期和Annexin V/PI双染色法检测细胞凋亡.细胞毒性实验表明:蚕蛹蛋白复合氨基酸的最大无毒浓度为10 mg/mL.不同浓度的蚕蛹蛋白复合氨基酸对SMMC-7721细胞均有抑制作用,各组与对照组相比差异有显著性(P＜0.05),并呈剂量和时间依赖性.Hoechst33258染色和流式细胞术结果亦证实,蚕蛹复合氨基酸能显著促进SMMC-7721细胞的凋亡.     

甲氨蝶呤诱导巨噬细胞M1极化促进骨肉瘤细胞凋亡的实验研究

目的:探讨甲氨蝶呤诱导巨噬细胞分化情况和分化后巨噬细胞对骨肉瘤细胞凋亡的影响。方法:采用甲氨蝶呤刺激小鼠单核巨噬细胞RAW264.7细胞24小时后,使用流式、免疫荧光等技术检测M1型巨噬细胞标志物CD86、诱导型一氧化氮合酶(Inducible nitric oxide synthase,i NOS)的表达量,并以脂多糖(Lipopolysaccharide, LPS)诱导巨噬细胞极化为阳性对照,未处理细胞为阴性对照,评估甲氨蝶呤的诱导效果。将经甲氨蝶呤刺激的巨噬细胞与骨肉瘤细胞K7共培养,使用流式技术检测骨肉瘤细胞K7凋亡程度。结果:一定剂量的甲氨蝶呤作用于小鼠单核巨噬细胞后,可以显著上调M1型巨噬细胞的标志物CD86、i NOS,上调程度与LPS组相当。与脂多糖诱导巨噬细胞极化类似,甲氨喋呤可以激活NF-κB。经甲氨蝶呤刺激后的巨噬细胞可以促进骨肉瘤细胞的凋亡。结论:甲氨蝶呤诱导向M1型分化的巨噬细胞可以促进骨肉瘤细胞的凋亡。     

奥拉帕尼对黑素瘤细胞的作用及机制研究

目的:探讨奥拉帕尼对黑素瘤细胞的作用及其机制。方法:应用不同浓度的奥拉帕尼处理黑素瘤细胞,利用CCK8检测肿瘤细胞活性。应用Western blot技术检测奥拉帕尼处理黑素瘤细胞后肿瘤细胞内凋亡及周期相关蛋白表达水平。结果:与对照组相比,5μM奥拉帕尼处理黑素瘤A2058细胞即可抑制肿瘤细胞活性(85.53±2.593)%。随着奥拉帕尼处理浓度倍增对黑素瘤细胞活性的抑制作用越强。在10μM、20μM、40μM、80μM奥拉帕尼处理浓度下,黑素瘤细胞活性分别是(68.88±1.484)%、(47.21±1.759)%、(33.04±1.261)%、(28.17±1.731)%。奥拉帕尼处理黑素瘤细胞后可促进肿瘤细胞内凋亡相关蛋白PARP1剪切体表达增加,并可抑制细胞周期相关蛋白cyclin D1的表达。结论:奥拉帕尼通过促进黑素瘤细胞凋亡及抑制肿瘤细胞周期蛋白表达的机制发挥抑制黑素瘤细胞活性的作用。     

重金属诱导拟南芥原生质体DNA 损伤的单细胞凝胶电泳检测

以拟南芥原生质体为实验体系, 研究不同浓度的3种重金属离子对拟南芥原生质体的毒性和DNA损伤的差异。结果表明, 用1-5 mmol.L-1的Zn2+、Cd2+ 和Cu2+分别处理的拟南芥原生质体, 2 小时内活力逐渐下降, 并表现出明显的浓度依赖性;与相同浓度的Cd2+ 和Cu2+ 相比, Zn2+对拟南芥原生质体活力的影响程度较小, 表现出较低的毒性。单细胞凝胶电泳检测发现,用0.1-0.8 mmol .L-1的Zn2+、Cd2+ 和Cu2+ 分别处理拟南芥原生质体30 分钟, 以OTM值表示的原生质体DNA损伤量随重金属离子浓度的增加而递增; 相同浓度(0.5 mmol.L-1)的3种重金属离子相比, Zn2+对原生质体的遗传毒性明显低于Cu2+ 和Cd2+。综合原生质体活力和DNA损伤的单细胞凝胶电泳检测结果, 发现Zn2+对拟南芥原生质体的遗传毒性较低, 而Cd2+ 和Cu2+的遗传毒性较高。本研究建立的拟南芥原生质体实验体系, 结合运用单细胞凝胶电泳技术, 能够快速、灵敏地检测重金属对植物细胞的遗传毒性。     

含镉量子点的毒性研究进展

含镉量子点是典型的量子点,近年来受到广泛研究。含镉量子点的潜在毒性是其在生物成像及生物医药方面应用和发展的关键制约因素,因此,对其毒性作用的研究具有重要意义。目前对含镉量子点的体外毒性研究主要集中在人肝癌细胞(HepG2)、神经分泌细胞(PC12)等细胞实验及斑马鱼胚胎体外培养实验。体内毒性研究包括小鼠等动物实验。这些研究证实,量子点对HepG2等细胞系和小鼠、贻贝等动物均具细胞毒性。研究者们普遍认为,量子点是通过释放其组成中的重金属,诱导生物体产生活性氧自由基,进而引发细胞凋亡或自噬,但对量子点的具体毒性作用机制并不完全清楚。该文对含镉量子点的体内和体外毒性研究工作进展进行了综述,包括含镉量子点对肝肾细胞、神经细胞、血液细胞及免疫细胞等体外毒性研究工作,对陆生及水生动物等的体内毒性研究工作,旨在更好、更全面地评估含镉量子点的毒性,为今后对量子点的毒性作用机制研究提供方向,促进含镉量子点在生物医学方面的发展和应用。     

纳米金壳介导的光热效应对骨肉瘤干细胞体外杀伤作用的研究

目的:探究纳米金壳介导的光热效应对骨肉瘤干细胞的杀伤作用。方法:采用无血清悬浮培养法富集骨肉瘤干细胞,通过实时荧光定量PCR检测所富集细胞CD133、SOX2、NANOG、OCT4 mRNA的相对表达量以进行鉴定。将纳米金壳与骨肉瘤干细胞共培养,应用波长808 nm的近红外激光器(1.5 W/cm~2)进行照射以激发光热效应,分别用CCK8法检测光热疗法对骨肉瘤干细胞的增殖抑制率,Annexin C-Fitc/PI双染法检测光热疗法对骨肉瘤干细胞凋亡的影响。结果:成功富集了高表达CD133、SOX2、NANOG、OCT4 mRNA的骨肉瘤干细胞;纳米金壳介导的光热效应显著抑制了骨肉瘤干细胞的增殖率,当纳米金壳浓度在0～250μg/mL范围内时,增殖抑制率与浓度呈正相关;细胞凋亡结果显示,纳米金壳结合近红外照射组细胞凋亡率显著高于对照组。结论:纳米金壳介导的光热效应对骨肉瘤干细胞增殖有明显抑制作用,主要诱导骨肉瘤干细胞发生中晚期凋亡。     

Determination of a Threshold Dose to Reduce or Eliminate CdTe-Induced Toxicity in L929 Cells by Controlling the Exposure Dose

With the widespread use of quantum dots (QDs), the likelihood of exposure to quantum dots has increased substantially. The application of quantum dots in numerous biomedical areas requires detailed studies on their toxicity. In this study, we aimed to determine the threshold dose which reduced or eliminated CdTe-induced toxicity in L929 cells by controlling the exposure dose. We established a cellular model of acute exposure to CdTe QDs. Cells were exposed to different concentrations of CdTe QDs (2.2 nm and 3.5 nm) followed by illustrative cytotoxicity analysis. The results showed that low concentrations of CdTe QDs (under 10 µg/mL) promoted cell viability, caused no obvious effect on the rate of cell apoptosis, intracellular calcium levels and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, while high concentrations significantly inhibited cell viability. In addition, reactive oxygen species in the 10 µg/mL-treated group was significantly reduced compared with the control group. In summary, the cytotoxicity of CdTe QDs on L929 cell is dose-dependent, time-dependent and size-dependent. Low concentrations of CdTe QDs (below 10 µg/mL) may be nontoxic and safe in L929 cells, whereas high concentrations (above 10 µg/mL) may be toxic resulting in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in L929 cells.     

Synthesis of highly luminescent and biocompatible CdTe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots using microwave irradiation: a comparative study of different ligands

We compared the effects of several ligands frequently used in aqueous synthesis, including L‐cysteine, L‐cysteine hydrochloride, N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), glutathione and 3‐mercaptopropionic acid, for microwave synthesis of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in a sealed vessel with varied temperatures and times, and then developed a rapid microwave‐assisted protocol for preparing highly luminescent, photostable and biocompatible CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs. The effects of molecular structures of these ligands on QD synthesis under high temperatures were explored. Among these ligands, NAC was found to be the optimal ligand in terms of the optical properties of resultant QDs and reaction conditions. The emission wavelength of NAC‐capped CdTe QDs could reach 700 nm in 5 min by controlling the reaction temperature, and the resultant CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs could achieve the highest quantum yields up to 74% with robust photostability. In addition, the effects of temperature, growth time and shell–precursor ratio on shell growth were examined. Finally, cell culturing indicated the low cytotoxicity of CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs as compared to CdTe and CdTe/CdS QDs, suggesting their high potential for applications in biomedical imaging and diagnostics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile synthesis and photophysical characterization of luminescent CdTe quantum dots for Forster resonance energy transfer based immunosensing of staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Aqueous phase synthesis of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with surface functionalization for bioconjugation remains the best approach for biosensing and bioimaging applications. We present a facile aqueous phase method to prepare CdTe QDs by adjusting precursor and ligand concentrations. CdTe QDs had photoluminescence quantum yield up to ≈33% with a narrow spectral distribution. The powder X‐ray diffraction profile elucidated characteristic broad peaks of zinc blende cubic CdTe nanoparticles with 2.5–3 nm average crystalline size having regular spherical morphology as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Infra‐red spectroscopy confirmed disappearance of characteristic absorptions for –SH thiols inferring thiol coordinated CdTe nanoparticles. The effective molar concentration of 1 : 2.5 : 0.5 respectively for Cd²⁺/3‐mercaptopropionic acid/HTe^– at pH 9 ± 0.2 resulted in CdTe quantum dots of 2.2–3.06 nm having band gap in the range 2.74–2.26 eV respectively. Later, QD₅₂₃ and QD₆₀₁ were used for monitoring staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB; a bacterial superantigen responsible for food poisoning) using Forster resonance energy transfer based two QD fluorescence. QD₅₂₃ and QD₆₀₁ were bioconjugated to anti‐SEB IgY antibody and SEB respectively according to carbodiimide protocol. The mutual affinity between SEB and anti‐SEB antibody was relied upon to obtain efficient energy transfer between respective QDs resulting in fluorescence quenching of QD₅₂₃ and fluorescence enhancement of QD₆₀₁. Presence of SEB in the range 1–0.05 µg varied the rate of fluorescence quenching of QD₅₂₃, thereby demonstrating efficient use of QDs in the Forster resonance energy transfer based immunosensing method by engineering the QD size. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly luminescent CdTe/CdS/ZnO core/shell/shell quantum dots fabricated using an aqueous strategy

To create core/shell/shell quantum dots (QDs) with high stability against a harmful chemical environment, CdTe/CdS QDs were coated with a ZnO shell in an aqueous solution. An interfaced CdS layer sandwiched between a CdTe core and ZnO shell provided relaxation of the strain at the core/shell interface since lattice parameters of CdS are intermediate between those of CdTe and ZnO. The photoluminescence (PL) peak wavelength of the core/shell/shell QDs was shifted from 569 to 615 nm by adjusting the size of CdTe cores and thickness of CdS and ZnO shells, along with the highest PL quantum yield of the core/shell/shell QDs reaching 80%, which implies promising applications in the field of biomedical labeling. Due to the decrease of surface defects, it was observed that PL lifetimes significantly increased at room temperature as follows: 29.6 34.2, and 47.5 ns for CdTe (537 nm), CdTe/CdS (555 nm) and CdTe/CdS/ZnO (581 nm) QDs, respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

L‐Cysteine capped CdTe–CdS core–shell quantum dots: preparation,characterization and immuno‐labeling of HeLa cells

Functionalized CdTe–CdS core–shell quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution via water‐bathing combined hydrothermal method using L‐cysteine (L‐Cys) as a stabilizer. This method possesses both the advantages of water‐bathing and hydrothermal methods for preparing high‐quality QDs with markedly reduced synthesis time, and better stability than a lone hydrothermal method. The QDs were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy and powder X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The CdTe–CdS QDs with core–shell structure showed both enhanced fluorescence and better photo stability than nude CdTe QDs. After conjugating with antibody rabbit anti‐CEACAM8 (CD67), the as‐prepared l ‐Cys capped CdTe–CdS QDs were successfully used as fluorescent probes for the direct immuno‐labeling and imaging of HeLa cells. It was indicated that this kind of QD would have application potential in bio‐labeling and cell imaging. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aqueous synthesis of CdTe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots and their optical and chemical properties

In this paper, we described a strategy for synthesis of thiol‐coated CdTe/CdS/ZnS (core–shell–shell) quantum dots (QDs) via aqueous synthesis approach. The synthesis conditions were systematically optimized, which included the size of CdTe core, the refluxing time and the number of monolayers and the ligands, and then the chemical and optical properties of the as‐prepared products were investigated. We found that the mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)‐coated CdTe/CdS/ZnS QDs presented highly photoluminescent quantum yields (PL QYs), good photostability and chemical stability, good salt tolerance and pH tolerance and favorable biocompatibility. The characterization of high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) showed that the CdTe/CdS/ZnS QDs had good monodispersity and crystal structure. The fluorescence life time spectra demonstrated that CdTe/CdS/ZnS QDs had a longer lifetime in contrast to fluorescent dyes and CdTe QDs. Furthermore, the MPA‐stabilized CdTe/CdS/ZnS QDs were applied for the imaging of cells. Compared with current synthesis methods, our synthesis approach was reproducible and simple, and the reaction conditions were mild. More importantly, our method was cost‐effective, and was very suitable for large‐scale synthesis of CdTe/CdS/ZnS QDs for future applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluorescence quenching investigation on the interaction of glutathione‐CdTe/CdS quantum dots with sanguinarine and its analytical application

Water‐soluble glutathione (GSH)‐capped core/shell CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized. In pH 5.4 sodium phosphate buffer medium, the interaction between GSH‐CdTe/CdS QDs and sanguinarine (SA) was investigated by spectroscopic methods, including fluorescence spectroscopy and ultraviolet‐visible absorption spectroscopy. Addition of SA to GSH‐CdTe/CdS QDs results in fluorescence quenching of GSH‐CdTe/CdS QDs. Quenching intensity was in proportion to the concentration of SA in a certain range. Investigation of the quenching mechanism, proved that the fluorescence quenching of GSH‐CdTe/CdS QDs by SA is a result of electron transfer. Based on the quenching of the fluorescence of GSH‐CdTe/CdS QDs by SA, a novel, simple, rapid and specific method for SA determination was proposed. The detection limit for SA was 3.4 ng/mL and the quantitative determination range was 0.2–40.0 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9988. The method has been applied to the determination of SA in synthetic samples and fresh urine samples of healthy human with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aqueous synthesis of highly stable CdTe/ZnS Core/Shell quantum dots for bioimaging

In this work, we report the synthesis, characterization and biological application of highly stable CdTe/ZnS (cadmium tellurite/zinc sulphide) Core/Shell (CS) quantum dots (QDs) capped with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA). The CS QDs were synthesized using a simple one‐pot aqueous method. The synthesized CdTe/ZnS CS QDs were found to exhibit excellent stability even 100 days after preparation and also showed better photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of about 50% compared with that of only CdTe QDs which was nearly 12%. The formation of the CdTe/ZnS CS was confirmed by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM), and Fourier transform infra‐red (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Further, on extending our study towards bioimaging of E. coli cells using the QDs samples, we found that CdTe/ZnS CS QDs showed better results compared with CdTe QDs.     

Photoluminescence properties of hybrid SiO2‐coated CdTe/CdSe quantum dots

Hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe/CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were prepared using CdTe/CdSe QDs prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. A CdSe interlayer made CdTe/CdSe cores with unique type II heterostructures. The hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe/CdSe QDs revealed excellent photoluminescence (PL) properties compared with hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe QDs. Because of the existence of spatial separations of carriers in the type II CdTe/CdSe core/shell QDs, the hybrid QDs had a relatively extended PL lifetime and high stability in phosphate‐buffered saline buffer solutions. This is ascribed to the unique components and stable surface state of hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe/CdSe QDs. During the stabilization test in phosphate‐buffered saline buffer solutions, both static and dynamic quenching occurred. The quenching mechanism of the hybrid QDs was not suited with the Stern–Volmer equation. However, the relative stable surface of CdTe/CdSe QDs resulted in lower degradation and relative high PL quantum yields compared with hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe QDs. As a result, hybrid SiO₂‐coated CdTe/CdSe QDs can be used in bioapplications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aqueous synthesis of highly luminescent surface Mn2+‐doped CdTe quantum dots as a potential multimodal agent

Mn²⁺‐doped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized directly via a facile surface doping strategy in aqueous solution. The best optical property emerged when the added amount of Mn²⁺ was 5% compared to Cd²⁺ in the CdTe nanoparticles and the reaction temperature was 60 °C. The fluorescence and magnetic properties of the QDs were studied. The as‐prepared Mn²⁺‐doped CdTe QDs have high quantum yield (48.13%) and a narrow distribution with an average diameter of 3.7 nm. The utility of biological imaging was also studied. Depending on the high quantum yield, cells in culture were illuminated and made more distinct from each other compared to results obtained with normal QDs. They also have a prominent longitudinal relaxivity value (r₁ = 4.2 mM^?1s^?1), which could indicate that the Mn²⁺‐doped CdTe QDs can be used as a potential multimodal agent for fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.